Keeping Up Appearances

On 'class day' at the gym, I generally get there early. I get the equipment I need for the class, find a chair, get set up and then use the time before class to walk laps. I can get about a half mile in before class.

I am not the only person who does this and another woman and I sometimes walk together. She is a fast walker too, and we tend to 'lap' people, coming up on slower walkers, and passing them without comment. 

Last week, we passed a guy. I don't know him but he seems to know everyone else. He is a talker. Anyways. As we passed, he made some comment to my walking partner that I didn't really attend to. 

Then much to my surprise, he spoke to me, calling me 'crazy hair'. 

This is interesting to me. 

One thing that I have noticed is that a lot of women come to their classes with neatly styled hair, full makeup. Jewelry and cute little workout clothes. 

Then there is me, I suppose. My hair is combed but truth be told, it needed to be cut. I had an appointment. I imagine that by the end of class, I probably looked a sight. I just never bothered to look. I don't wear makeup because (to call a spade a spade) I sweat. I am not wearing jewelry. My workout clothes are a pair of sweatpants and a baggy tee-shirt.

I just find myself coming back to that comment and wondering why a man would call out something like that to a woman he doesn't even know. 

Anyway.

Supper is planned, recipe sent to myself.

We got through the cold snap. It is lightly snowing and very windy. Another storm moving in. The weather folks are not giving any estimates on snow amounts. The official quote seems to be 'it all depends...'

In the time honored tradition, we will pick up a gallon of milk after gym. We do not need bread or toilet paper.

This morning, I woke up early. I finally just gave up and got up. While I was making my coffee, I became aware of a plane. It sounded very low. Maybe it was a trick of the cloud cover. I don't know. I stood there at the coffee pot, listening. Both Freddie and Houdi stopped and stood staring curiously at the southern windows.

It suddenly struck me how surreal it is to be living in a time where a situation like this immediately leads to thoughts of 'dear heavens, who has he pissed off now?'

One last comment: Chris in the UK sent me a link in yesterday's comments. You know, Chris, I appreciate that. We are carefully vetting our news sources, and I am sorry to say, I get a far more accurate idea of what is going on from foreign news agencies. Gwynneth does a great job of that too. I welcome it, and am grateful. 

Indeed

 No good deed is too small to matter.

Today was so windy. We did make it to the gym. We needed milk and needed to go to town, so as long as we were there, we figured we might as well hit the gym. We carefully made our way there through snowsqualls and whiteouts and little swirling snow-nados dancing across the fields.

I will take the cold. Some areas north of the New York line are slated to get 55-70 inches of snow in this storm.

I talked with a local organization. They were enthusiastic about working with us for next year's toy give-away. They wanted to work with us as soon as they saw the write-ups in the paper. She guarantees, at a minimum, 300 toys. She also hooked me up with a contact that might enable us to add bikes to the giveaway. 

I am just so amazed at how an entire community has caught this vision. It is a nice counterbalance to the shitshow unfolding around us.

Short One

The protest was well attended despite the  cold. 

My sign said 'when our government starts quoting Nazis, we all need to speak up.' Tim's said, 'Christian Nationalism is not Christianity. Jesus wept"

It feels good to be with like minds. We got quite a bit of support from the cars passing by.

We also got the expected blowback. But this time, it seemed angrier. A woman approached us on foot screaming. "I am sorry you hate America." Drivers shouted obscenities. We waved cheerfully. We will be there next week.

Another gold medal:

 

Reasons to Celebrate

Today's shame was an American president accepting another leader's Nobel Peace prize, beaming with pride as if it actually did honor his work.🤡 (In case you didn't know, it doesn't.) He is like a child with a sparkly bauble. 

This story made me laugh.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/karoline-leavitt-fumed-protesters-flipping-102422682.html

 My kids loved this book and -ahem!- I do a very good Grover imitation. Just a thing you may not know about Debby.

I just thought you needed to know that book to understand this book, The Monster at the End of the End of the File. By Jeff Whitcher

A woman on Facebook reads it. I wish I could share. The reader's FB name is lyndseydotw

Also:

If you have Instagram and do not mind swearing, you can always begin following My Cluck Hut. Just a tip: they are a soap company and their motto is: "if you are not a fascist and you wash your ass, our soap is for you." Their videos are hilarious.

We have had people outside the country believing that things seem worse. In my opinion, they sure are. But the more outrageous this gets, the more it galvanizes people to stand up and speak out.  That's exactly what is happening: more and more people are coming off the sideline. However, it is ugly. It is likely to get uglier.

All that to say, Tim and I believe that when your government starts quoting Nazis, we all better get off our behinds. We have committed to weekly demonstrations. It is encouraging to spend time with like minds. It is encouraging to get more people cheering us on from their cars. We have seen examples of increasingly hostile behavior, but they are the teensiest minority. We stand fast.

If you are feeling hopeless, find something to laugh at. Heaven knows we have the best comics on 'our' side. Share that humor. Be an encourager. Don't give up. 

Things to be celebrated here: I have been having the worst trouble with bread, mostly because I have been trying new recipes. Yesterday, I went back to tried and true 🥳 Excellent results and Tim got cinnamon rolls.

Remember the successful toy giveaway before Christmas? There is a huge push to do it next year. A local storage company stepped up and offered a free storage unit for two months. They have offered to be a drop off site, so that people can drop of the toys for the entire six weeks before the event. We had such a great response but drop off was one day, and the giveaway was the following day. Extending the collection from one day to six weeks is going to be huge. I have a couple of other ideas percolating as well. Huge satisfaction out of that.

Princess dresses for the little princesses. That always makes me happy.

We did not get the lake effect snow we were were warned about. That was good news.  

I can't be with her but my youngest will be turning 36.  I will celebrate her anyway.

What are you celebrating today? 

Fear not.

TJ Sabula's words: "i don't feel as though fate looks upon you often and when it does, you better be ready to seize the opportunity. Today, I think I did that."

Suspended Michigan autoworker who heckled Trump gets outpouring of donations | Michigan | The Guardian https://share.google/xtEHvoI9ltkLwohXO

$335,000 raised so far. 

The right calls out his uncivil behavior while defending an administration with a longstanding history of uncivil behavior. 

Just a thing i noticed.

Security breech leaks names, addresses, emails, background info on 4500 ICE agents. Big uproar. 

Of course, when there was not nearly the outrage over right-wing patriots as they 'swatted' democrats, leaking their information, protesting in front of their homes.

Just a thing I noticed.

Kids are outing their ICE daddies on Tik-Tok. That gives me hope for the future.

The US Department of Labor debuted a new slogan. One nation. One people. One heritage.  It has sparked some backlash.

Labor Dept. Debuts Similar Slogan To Famous Nazi Phrase - Comic Sands https://www.comicsands.com/labor-department-nazi-slogan

Kristi Noem displayed her own slogan. 'One of ours. All of yours.'

Kristi Noem 'One of ours, all of yours' controversy explained: Podium photo with Nazi quote goes viral https://share.google/p5ENfKVpcJC69JCTa

That is a threat. We are meant to be afraid. 

Don't be.

The Meeting of the Minds

This morning, we kind of waited around for the trapper, but we couldn't wait all day. We had a new chimney built for the house by the Amish, and Tim is anxious to get that up in the 'Golden Hours', defined in this instance as the warmest part of the day: afternoon but before it started to get dark

After waiting until nearly 10, we had to go. We needed to get to the gym. 

When we came home, I was delighted to see the  truck parked in front of the old house. "Drop me off," I said. "I will grab the mail while I am down here."

I made good use of my time while I waited. When I walked to the mailbox, I saw a bit of plastic flapping in the wind. I did a little digging and discovered a package that had been delivered who knows when. The snowplow going by on the road had effectively buried it.

So I dug our package out and rifled through the mail, and my patience was rewarded. After 15 minutes or so, he came walking around the corner of the old house.

The first thing I noticed is that he wasn't a kid. I would guess he was in his 60s. He greeted me cheerfully. I said, "I wanted to talk to you about your exchange with my husband yesterday." 

I could tell that he knew exactly what I was talking about but he said, "I didn't mean anything by it."

I said, "Maybe you didn't but let me be really clear. You are here because you were given permission to be here." I pointed to the two white trucks back at the gas well. "You are not the only one. The well tenders will be here. We have a seed collector who will be back there from time to time. We have grandchildren too, and let me tell you , the first time you say anything like that to one of them, you and I will go toe to toe."

He got mad then. "I would never talk like that to a kid!"

"You have no reason to be talking to anybody like that." 

"Well, he scared the shit out of me!"

"For ex-military, you don't seem to be very aware of your surroundings. The man did not sneak up on you. He walked right along the stream bank."

He snapped, "I know he wasn't sneaking up on me..." and glared.

I continued, "and as far as the ex-miltary stuff, that doesn't impress me much. That log cabin three doors down? That's my brother in law. He's ex-military. Two driveways down this way? That's my nephew. Injured in Iraq. Up on the hill there? That's another nephew. He did two tours in Afghanistan. Me, myself? I am ex-military too. So don't be pulling that card here."

He changed tactics then. "Listen, I am just a simple trapper..."

"Who needs to have some respect. If that kind of talk is ever repeated, you will not be permitted back."

He did apologize but he also said, "I thought this was S---------'s property!"

Mr ex-military not only has no awareness of his surroundings. Poor bastard can't read a plat map either.

"No," I said. "His property is behind ours."

He said, "well. I apologize. It won't happen again."

I said "I expect it won't," and headed up the hill with the mail. 

So...that's done.

Differences

 Today, when we got back from the Y, there was a strange truck parked in front of the old house. Tim was not alarmed. Either 'the seed collector' had gotten a new vehicle or it was a trapper we had previously allowed to trap. 

I know that some will consider that controversial. I do not have the stomach for trapping. Neither does Tim. That being said, probably between 1/4 to 1/3 of our property had been underwater when we bought it due to beaver activity.

Some folks believe that we have encroached on their territory. The truth is quite the opposite. There is a very large dam way back in woods at the back of an elderly couple's property. The thing is as tall as I am and as the water levels have risen and covered more and more of the property, the beaver have expanded the length of the dam. At this point it would be dangerous to remove in the normal way. As a person chipped away at the dam, the water would begin to rush through. The sheer volume would make it a hazardous endeavor, with a danger of being swept away and pulled under.

Because the beaver have lived an unbothered life, the colony has grown to the point that they had begun to migrate down stream. They set up housekeeping across the road at my sister and brother-in-law's where new dams were torn out again and again, because they were flooding the pasture. 

No doubt irritated by the constant interference, the beaver pulled up stakes and crossed under the bridge to our side of the road. We tore out their dams. It is not an easy job, and sometimes they rebuilt over night.

So. We permitted trapping. 

Anyway, Tim walked down to the creek to see who it was. I came in to make the coffee that I hadn't had time to make before the trip to the gym. 

Before long, Tim was back. "Yeah, it was the trapper." He hung up his coat. "I followed his tracks right in. He didn't hear me. I scared him." He pulled off his boots and set them in the boot tray. "He told me that was a good way to get myself shot..." 

I turned from the coffee pot. "Was he trying to be funny???!"

Tim said, "No. He was serious. Said he was ex-military..."

I was shocked. "He said that while he was standing on our property???!!!!"

Tim stared at me a little surprised. His mind works differently than mine. In his mind, the man was all bluff and bluster, and he did not take him seriously.

In my mind, when you have been granted a courtesy from a land owner you have a bit of respect. In my mind, I am sick of people pulling this ''I am ex-military" as if this training makes them something to handle carefully or as if they warrant extra respect. In my mind, it doesn't matter one whit if I think he would actually follow through or not. Do not try to bully or intimidate me or mine on my own place.

I said. "I am going down there to have a word. I am ex-military too if he wants to play that card."

Tim said, "He has gone."

I have been stewing over this all afternoon. It is probably good I had time to think. When I am mad, I have a tendency to run 'hot'. I may say things that I think better of later. Maybe that is what happened here. Maybe Tim did actually startle him. Maybe he just blurted something unfortunate. It happens. I understand that as well as anyone. 

Tim and I talked when he got back from some errand running.

"I am still upset about this morning and it is not something I am willing to overlook. What if he had said something like that to a grandson? We need to go to the gym early and get back early, because I am going to be waiting for that young man to check his line. I will give him a chance to explain himself, but if there is any bluff and bluster from him, I am telling him to pull his traps and get off this property." 

Tim looked at me mildly. "That's fine," he said.

Weekend's End

It is snowing outside. That is not a surprise, because the weather predicted it. However the weather also predicted that it was going to stop by 9 am. It was not supposed to be a 'snow event'. However, it did not stop snowing. It hasn't stopped snowing yet.

Tim was going to drop me off at the gym on his way to church. We had gone only a couple miles before we decided that this was not the best idea we ever had. There was sliding involved. 

So we came back home.

Our company decided to "keep his feet at home" as the Amish would say. He had let his woodstove go out and needed to be home to baby it back to life. 

So it was a quiet day in. The snow has not stopped, the wind has picked up. I fed the crows this morning. 3 stale snickerdoodles left from Christmas a scoop of corn, and the pan of dried catfood that had been rained on and frozen into a solid mess. 

The crows watched, and before long, they were swooping in from all directions. A large hawk came in and for awhile the crows carried on loudly from the trees. When he did not leave, they surprisingly flew back down and resumed eating along side him.

The interesting thing is that hawks do not eat corn. I am not sure that snickerdoodles are any more enticing. I suppose he could have been there for the lump of frozen catfood. I don't know. After they left, the bald eagle came to sit in a tree for for quite a while. I think he was probably waiting for a squirrel or rodent to try to nab a piece of corn.

 I read The Charmed Wife, which was a divorce retold as a fairy tale. An interesting approach, but 2/3 of the way in, I had to have a break. 

The protest yesterday was a good one, 50 people. What I notice is that the support is good. What I also notice is that the people are getting bolder. Two people in particular stand out, a truck driving aggressively as close as he could get to the curb we were standing on. Another young man standing with his upper body through a car's moonroof, throwing handfuls of wrapped candy like missiles and yelling. 

My hands and feet were freezing by the end of it all, but in the warmth of the car, we both agreed that it was good to be with like minded souls, and that the bad behavior we saw underscored the importance of standing fast. We will be there next week.

I stayed cold for the rest of the day though. I just could not get warm.

Does anyone live close to a Meijer? My youngest daughter saw this picture and remembered how she loved the mechanical horse at the store entrance. If anyone can find me one of those little toys at their Meijer, I would reimburse you for the price and postage.

Trump is not a mom, but he is a mother

In today's episode of 'As the Stomach Turns' (not original, thank Carol Burnett) we have this irony.

 trump threatens to hit Iran hard if protesters are attacked

*editorial note the 15 week training that was reduced to eight weeks has now been reduced to six weeks.

Yesterday, Christmas was moved to the attic, packed away for another year. My ornaments get packed away into an old steamer trunk, so the first order of business was getting that trunk into the attic. I was doubtful that this was possible. Tim was certain it could happen.

 I went for a tape measure. The trunk was 19 inches, and Tim triumphantly crowed "We have 19 1/2 inches clearance!" Guess he showed me alright.

Maneuvering that trunk up the fold down ladder was a nightmare. After three attempts we finally managed it. It will be up there for the rest of our natural lives, because I am not hauling it back down. I made multiple trips up the ladder carrying the tree and boxes of things to be packed in the trunk.

While I was doing this I was surprised to see a young man walking across the yard. Tim had noticed that traffic was slowing down and walked down the driveway to take a look. He had a flat tire. Tim told him to pull into the driveway. His spare tire was down to the cords and not safe. Tim pondered it and checked his garage. He had a rim and tire that would fit and got the fellow on his way, telling him to return the rim when he was able to get a replacement. It will be interesting to see if that happens. 

But that was yesterday and today is today. It has been  a quiet day. Raining, temps in the 60s.  Most of our snow is gone. Fear not: we have more on the way although I have not heard any reports of it being a snow event. 

I went to my first exercise class today, and then walked the track after it was done.  I really see that I am so very lucky.  I intend to keep it that way. Sun, Tues, Thurs, I do my 5 miles. Mon, Wed, and Fri I do the class and full body workout.

Thelma left a comment with her 'battle song' yesterday. Here is another for your collection. Happy birthday. 

Saturday we protest.

Join Ice

Videos are all over Facebook. An ice agent kicking over things at the Renee Good memorial. An ice agent walking down a line and macing people in the face. Clergy tear gassed. Nothing more than a blatant display of power. 

They want to show who is boss.

MAGA is okay with this.

 

Not the most cheerful post

 I think our little blogging circle has a lot of blogs in common, but for anyone who doesn't know, please stop over at Oddball Observations and leave a kind word for Bruce. The link is in my side bar.

Went to the gym today. It is a bit surreal watching gray heads bobbing along with Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love." Don't know why it should. I am one of those gray heads. I mean, we grocery shop to that music these days. Anyways, they were very friendly and several of them tried to get us to join them. Maybe I will. 

There are a lot of little stories to be seen at the gym. The old man who shuffled determinedly across the gym with his water bottle and his cane. I thought it was sweet that people set up his place for him. Bring the weights and resistance bands and the steps, etc.

The woman who worked quietly alone doing her stretches. 

The obese woman who had to stop several times to lean against the wall. 

The man in the weight room who looked so done in that i actually stopped to make sure he eas okay. He assured me he was and eventually headed to the treadmill. 

We were all there for the same reason, I suppose. A refusal to go gentle into that good night, but the first time that Blue Oyster Cult's 'Don't Fear the Reaper' comes blasting out of those speakers, I will have to go lean against the wall and have a good laugh.

I cannot even begin to say one thing about today's events. Just awful. And still their are Americans who thing it is all justified. Other people who don't believe it has anything to do with them. 

I will say this one thing: Family Life Radio is the Fox News of the radio airwaves, churning out pure propaganda.  

Also: Christian Nationalism has nothing to do with Christianty.

That's it. That's all I got.

Deep doodoo

 PS: 

The White House has  opened a website blaming police for January 6th. 

I don't even want to talk about Venezuela.

Blog note: from now on, if you come to my blog to challenge me, but don't have the guts to use your name, your comment will simply be deleted. I think you are a coward.

Tim and I got Y memberships. When we lived in town, there were a lot of places to walk. Here, not so much. The highway has very heavy semi truck traffic and I don't feel comfortable. 

Tim does not own sneakers. He wears boots. Working boots, hiking boots, muck boots, dress boots. Boots are not good for the gym. A bit of shopping was required for him. But we got him a comfortable pair of sneakers.

This morning. I got up and headed out. I did a solid hour work out. Tim did not go with me today. He decided his comfortable sneakers would be more comfortable if they were a half size larger.

Sounded suspicious to me too.

But I am glad to be exercising again. Something that I have noticed is that I am seeing a lot of obituaries of people younger than I am, which is a little sobering. I have also begun to notice that a lot of people my age are looking pretty rough. 

Use it or lose it. 

My weight loss was a good start. But I need to stay the course and I need to keep active. I walked the track today, and watched people playing pickleball. I don't know that my knee would take that lunging and twisting, but we will see. Everything feels possible.

I had a couple errands to run. I did them as quickly as I could, because they were calling for freezing rain. I decided to use the restroom before I left. I nearly collided with an elderly woman struggling to open the door while managing her walker. 

I held the door for her and she left quickly saying her daughter had left her in the car and would be concerned if she had finished her shopping and returned to the car only to find her mother gone. 

I felt that little fear as i watched her struggle: use it or lose it. 

I turned to enter the bathroom and it was literally covered in excrement. The toilet seat, the tp holder, the floor. Even the sink. I turned right around and left. 

A young mother was approaching with her toddler. I said, "Listen, you do not want to go in that bathroom. It needs attention." 

Her daughter was potty training. I said, "There is a family restroom at the back of the store, but you seriously do not want to use this one."

I let them know at the service desk, and felt very sorry for whoever got assigned to that. I checked out and headed to the car. I figured that my bladder could stand the 20 minute drive home. 

Off I went. About half way home, a little car suddenly jerked out into my lane to pass one of those semitrucks that I was telling you about earlier. On a curve. In a clearly marked no passing zone. 

It was a close one, but my bladder held.

It is raining like crazy here, but the good news is that it is too warm to freeze.

OH CANADA!

 

BREAKING NEWS OUT OF CANADA --

OTTAWA — Canadian officials held an emergency press conference Sunday after Prime Minister Mark Carney accidentally revealed the existence of what he called “The Moose Accord,” a decades-old contingency plan designed to weaponize Canada’s natural politeness in the event of foreign aggression, trade disputes, or Americans “getting a little too confident.”

The briefing, held in a curling rink “for acoustic reasons,” began normally before Carney paused, sighed, and said, “Alright. We’re being nice about this too much. Release the moose.”

According to newly declassified documents stamped SORRY / TOP SECRET, Canada has spent the last 70 years selectively breeding a special class of hyper-intelligent moose capable of navigating terrain, bureaucracy, and social situations Americans find “confusing and upsetting.” These animals—known internally as Strategic Ungulates—are trained to disrupt hostile nations by standing calmly in the middle of highways, border crossings, and Home Depot parking lots until morale collapses.

“These are not normal moose,” said one defense analyst while nervously adjusting his toque indoors. “They understand traffic patterns. They wait for eye contact. And if provoked, they will simply stare at you until you apologize to them.”

The plan was reportedly activated after U.S. intelligence flagged unusual Canadian troop movements near the border, later identified as a “totally chill winter camping situation” involving 40,000 parkas, 12,000 thermoses, and one guy named Doug who brought a propane grill “just in case.”

American confusion deepened when satellite imagery showed Canada deploying what appeared to be mobile Tim Hortons units along key routes. Officials now confirm these are Tactical Drive-Thrus, capable of feeding and caffeinating entire battalions in under four minutes.

“Once Americans smell fresh coffee and hear someone say ‘no rush, take your time,’ resistance drops immediately,” said a senior NATO official. “Frankly, it’s devastating.”

The most alarming revelation, however, was Canada’s rumored control of the Polar Vortex Dial, a weather manipulation device hidden somewhere “north of where maps stop being helpful.” When asked whether Canada could selectively aim winter at specific regions, Carney shrugged.

“Look, we don’t like to use it,” he said. “But if someone starts talking annexation again, suddenly their truck won’t start and their driveway becomes a philosophical challenge.”

U.S. officials reportedly panicked after intercepted communications suggested Canada could deploy Weaponized Apologies, a psychological tactic involving excessive politeness delivered with surgical precision.

“They keep saying ‘sorry’ but in a way that makes you feel like you messed up geopolitically,” said one Pentagon source. “It’s disorienting. I’ve written three apology emails to Ontario and I don’t know why.”

The situation escalated further when Canada unveiled its final deterrent: Hockey Night Protocol—a nationwide ability to drop everything, unify instantly, and become extremely serious about something that technically doesn’t matter but absolutely does.

“If it comes to it,” one official warned, “we’ll turn the Stanley Cup into a roaming symbol of unity and mild menace. You’ll hear the anthem. You won’t know the words. We’ll know you don’t know them. That’s when it’s over.”

The NHL declined to comment, though sources confirm the Cup has been reinforced with “emotional significance and light intimidation.”

As the press conference ended, Carney reassured the world that Canada seeks peace, friendship, and mutual respect—adding only that “we’re very patient, very polite, and extremely prepared to wait you out.”

Analysts say the revelation confirms what many have long suspected: Canada is not aggressive, not expansionist, and not interested in conflict—but if pushed, it will respond calmly, efficiently, and with winter that lasts one month longer than you’re emotionally prepared for.

The terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

 

Yesterday, we needed to take a quick run to Happs. I wanted to see what they had for coffee. It is always good to see what they have for dry goods. If you are lucky, you hit in on 'bread day' and pick up your Pepperidge farm bread for $1 a loaf. Since it is sold double wrapped it is good to stock up on a half dozen loaves for the freezer. I like their 16 grain bread.

So, anyways, we got ready to leave. I had just started a load of laundry and was waiting for a loaf of bread to come out of the oven. Tim went out ro warm up the car. 

He came back in. "I can't find the car keys." 

Now this does not make sense necause each vehicle (5, if you are keeping score) has its keys inside. He never brings the keys in the house.

I said, "How can they be missing, though?"

He said, "I don't know."

I said, "did you bring them inside?"

He said, "I don't know."

I said, "They have to be in the car."

He said, "I checked." 

"Did you put them in your coat pocket?"

"I checked," he said.

I got a horrified feeling. "You didn't put them in your pants pocket, did you?"

"I don't know," he said.

I heard an ominous clinking sound, and stopped the washer. I grabbed a tote and began to pull out sopping clothes. No keys. But i did find 60 cents. Probably from  my pocket, truthfully.

While I was sorting through the laundry, he headed to the mailbox remembering that he had parked the car and then walked back to the mailbox. 

I was starting to feel sick. If he dropped the keys, he had plowed that morning. They could be crushed. They could be scooped up and buried in the banks on either side of the drive. Would the sensor even work after being buried in a snowbank? I mean, we bought the car used. It only came with the one key. 

He came back into the house. "I didn't see it. Let's go. We will take your car." 

"But Tim..." I started.

"It will turn up," he snapped.

Now, I knew he was mad at himself. He felt stupid. I did not want him to feel worse but I did want to find that key..

I went outside and opened the car door. He irritably told me that he had already looked, so I shut the door and followed him to my car. He was mad, and I was frustrated too. I sure did not need to exacerbate a situation that we both were already frustrated about. 

The trip to Happs was a wasted trip. I have never seen the shelves so bare. 

We headed back home. He took his metal detector out in the fading light. Nothing.

So. A quiet night. We did find that we could get a key made, but it was kind of pricey. It made the problem a solvable problem, though. Made both of us feel a little bit better.

Last night, I was tired, but for all of that. I kept waking up. I would fret about the key until I fell asleep.  But  when I woke up this morning, I knew exactly what had happened. I had no doubt. I waited for it to warm up and then went out to the car. Slid the seat back and fished the key out between the console and the seat. 

Tim was astonished and very very pleased. 'How did you know?' I said, 'you never take the keys from the car. I just kept coming back to that." 

"I looked though..."

"You looked on the driver side. It got bumped out when we were bringing the groceries in. I figured it out in my sleep."

He understood right away. He problem solves in his sleep too. 

So today is a better day than yesterday.

This Venezuela thing is sickening. Just last fall the heads of the Armed Forces met to discuss the military response to possible unconstitutional orders given by Trump.  And yet...here we are. 

This is pretty awful.

Greenland gave a response to Kate Miller's social media post showing our flag over their country with one word: 'Soon'. 

Trump himself said his next target is Cuba. 

What in the actual fuck is going on here? 

A trump relative has floated the idea for mandatory military service for young men. Easy-peasy. Except not one of the young men will come from their family or their rich friends. Everybody else's sons are expendable.

This is awful.

A smile:

For Marcia

Houdi and Freddie.

Freddie.

Houdi.

As far as bringing snow in for them, gz, not necessary. They go to the door  stick their noses out, and then back away from the door. They have got snow figured out. They have figured out that they don't like it.

I woke up last night and the sky looked like something out of Stranger Things. 

We have 16 inches of snow on the ground but not for long. Temps are supposed to get up to the low 50s this week. This is just the craziest winter. 

The tree comes down tomorrow.

Begin Again

 First of all, I want to say that I am having one heck of a time commenting, on my own blog and everyone else's too. Please know that I am following along on your adventures. Even if I can't leave a comment.

We have a more than foot of snow on the ground and it still falling gently but steadily outside. Fred and Houdi have been fascinated by the big fluffy flakes and sit side by side at the sliding glass doors watching them, one orange and one gray head bobbing alertly as they watch the snow falling.

As for us, we have been snug as two bugs in a rug. Last night, Tim and I curled up to watch the old movie 'Starman' with Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen. Tim had never seen it. I had forgotten what a lovely piece of escapism it was. 

We do have to go out today. That will give me a chance to pick up a bag of onions and some instant yeast. I have a craving for French onion soup.

My aunt died on the first day of the new year, my father's oldest sister. I got my middle name from her.

The holidays are over and this is the last weekend for the tree and lights. We will savor the dregs of the holiday as we eat the holiday left overs: sauerkraut and pork, venison and roasted vegetables or ham and spinach quiche...take your pick.